Friends Lover Family
by chocolate cherry bunny
Summary: Bonnie and Damon have moved on from friends to lovers but they and those closest to them have lost much. Now they must bring Stefan back from the edge. Along the way, they and their rag-tag group of friends will build new alliances and rebuild their family. Story begins where Promises and Friendships ended.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers: Vampire Diaries belong to L. J. Smith and the CW. I do not own them. I'm only taking the characters out to play.**

Friends, Lovers, Family

Chapter One: Clearing the Air

Damon listened to Bonnie speak to someone one the phone as he toweled off. It had felt good to shower off all the sweat after the previous day. He never wanted to be that close to death's clutches again.

"Of course she still loves you, Care." Bonnie's voice trailed. "You're her daughter." The witch's eyes followed her vampire lover as he strolled into the bedroom, naked. "Alright, but if you need a break, you know Damon will let you crash here as long as you need."

Damon shot her a perturbed look as he pulled on a pair of jeans. The girl just rolled her eyes. He wasn't upset about her offering a room to Caroline Forbes, He'd do it himself too.

"Things okay with Barbie and Liz?" He asked once she hung up the phone.

"The sheriff is handling it much better than the last time she learned that her little girl was a vampire. " She responded.

"I guess shooting Jeremy was a wait up call. How's Sheila, by the way?"

"Worn out but she'll bounce back." Bonnie confirmed. "Lexie called too while you were in the shower."

"And?"

"The loft was empty. Klaus and Stef are long gone."

"Dammit."

"There's more."

"Tell me."

Bonnie took a deep breath. "Lexie said they found a bunch of empty blood bags and they looked very recent."

"How many?"

"By her estimate, enough to refill three adults."

"Shit, he's making sure Stef is glutted." Damon pulled a shirt from the drawer.

"Glutted?"

"Even the most controlled vampire has to be careful how much blood he drinks at one time, or he goes into a frenzy." He explained. "The more you drink, the more you want."

"And given Stefan's lack of control..."

"We've got a ripper." Damon looked down at the shirt he was still holding. "Too bad the map spell doesn't work with vampires."

"We'll find him." Bonnie reassured him. "How's your arm?" She reached for his previously injured arm.

Damon showed her the unblemished skin. "Good as new. Hybrid blood obviously does the trick."

"Good." She stalked to the desk and grabbed a stack of papers. "Then explain this to me."

"Bonnie, I..."

"You decide to prematurely check out and all you can say is sorry?" The girl's temper was rising,

"I tried to write you a letter," he was grasping at how to explain. "But nothing sounded like enough."

"So you leave me everything but can't even give me one last kiss goodbye?" The frustrated tears began to well. "Well news flash. I don't want your car or your stock portfolio. I just wanted you,"

"I didn't want to go through what Rose did. My control was slipping and I was going to hurt someone. As it was I bit Elena."

"You didn't kill anyone."

"But I could have."

"Better them than you. "

"You don't mean that, Bon-Bon."

"The hell I don't." Her voice rising. "And another thing. Leaving me everything wouldn't have been pointless because if you had died, me and your favorite straight razor would have held a little going away party in your honor in that bath tub you're so fond of."

Taking in her meaning, Damon's jaw fell in horror. Dropping the shirt, he sped in front of the girl and seized her shoulders. "Don't ever talk like that." He shook her. "You don't kill yourself over me."

"Oh really?" She sneered, "A few days ago you told me that you'd face the sun without your ring if I died while fighting Klaus. What gives you the right to decide if you stay or join me in the afterlife and not me?"

"I've been around for more than 170 years, little girl." He pressed "You're not even eighteen yet. You've not lived nearly long enough."

Bonnie's eyes widened as she pulled out of his grasp. "You didn't think I was a little girl when you fucked me or when you proposed." She took a breath. "Though I'm wondering now if it was a mistake to accept given how fast you are to throw in the towel."

"Oh," Damon stepped forward. Bonnie stepped back, not realizing how far she had moved till she bumped the wall. "I know exactly who I proposed to and its going to be a rather lengthy engagement." He invaded her personal space. "And as for fucking you, you don't know the true meaning of the word. Yet."

"Excuse me?"

"I told you once that I'd tie you to the bed if you ever tried to leave again." He moved even closer so that their chests were brushing. "Sounds like you're considering calling off the engagement. Well, you told me that I couldn't weasel out of it when we found the cure, so neither are you. YOU. ARE. MINE." He kissed her hard.

The kiss was punishing and possessive as his hands ran over her body. Bonnie seethed. Opening her mouth slightly, she sucked his lower lip and then clamped down viciously on it.

Damon didn't flinch or try to pull away. Instead he shifted to grind his growing erection into her groin.

Bonnie knew that she should be afraid. Damon was angry. He'd nearly died. His brother was under the influence of a psychopath and now they were arguing. "He'll break you." She heard Katherine's word's in the back of her mind. Still the racing of her heart wasn't from fear. She was just as turned on as he was at the moment. And Damon would never break her. Oh Bonnie didn't doubt that she was in for a ride, but he'd never hurt her. She angled her hips to rubbed against him more fully.

Pushing at his shoulders until she could take a much needed breath, the witch grabbed her lover by the hair and yanked back to look in his eyes. "Go to hell. I belong to no one."

Damon chuckled darkly as he removed her hand from his head. "Shall I prove it to you. Sweeting?"

In a flash, Damon had her tossed over his shoulder. In two strides, he was tossing her onto the bed. Rolling her so that she lay of her stomach, he pinned her to the mattress with one hand between her shoulder blades as he reached for something in the side table.

Straddling her butt, he took a her left wrist and wrapped it with a strip of wide silky ribbon. He threaded the other end through an eyelet that she'd never noticed to be screwed into his headboard before binding it to her right wrist.

"I told you that I'd tie you to my bed." He purred in her ear just before he bit her neck deeply.

Bonnie yelped and squirmed against him but he pulled away after taking a small sip of her essence. She felt him tug off her shoes. A pair of dull thuds let her know that he'd tossed them in the vicinity of the closet. Reaching around her waist, he popped the button of her jeans and lowered the zipper before peeling them down her legs.

"You have the most perfect ass I've ever seen." He told her as he lovingly stroked one of the pert globes. "And it's mine." Without warning, he raised his hand and brought it down swiftly. The smack was more noise than pain but Bonnie squealed just the same. "Now say it." Damon demanded.

"Say what?" She played dumb.

"Tell me that you're mine." He gave the other cheek a glancing smack.

"Never." She said through gritted teeth.

"But you are." He was purring again while fingering her thong.

"Prove it."

"With pleasure." The sound of tearing fabric as the thong shredded.

From her vantage point, Bonnie couldn't see him but felt his weight leave the bed and heard the rustle as he removed his jeans.

Draping himself over her back, he glided his hands up her arms to her hands. Without a word, he guided her left hand to her right wrist where she could feel that the slip knot holding the ribbon in place could be released with a tug if she so desired.

Nodding her understanding, Bonnie found herself flipped over and her legs yanked over his shoulders. Her arms were forced to cross above her head to accommodate the new position but she gripped the ribbon tightly in both hands when he tore open her blouse and flicked open the front hook of her bra. She watched through veiled eyes as Damon cupped her behind to lift her core level with his mouth.

"So wet," he whispered against her skin as he lapped at her nectar. "And all for me. Isn't it, little witch?"

Bonnie tried to shake her head and deny it as she pulled tighter at the ribbon, hoping that she didn't yank the eyelet out of the wood as he continued his assault with his tongue.

"Look at me Bonnie." He finally said. His eyes red and burning, the veins black. "You will always be mine, and I will never let you go." With his proclamation, he sunk his fangs into the flesh just above her mound.

"Damon!" she screamed as he alternated between sucking at the wound he created and dipping as deeply as his tongue would allow in her channel. His hands clutching harder at her hips to keep her from thrashing away from him.

Unable to remain still, Bonnie yanked at her restraints to press his head more firmly against her. "Don't stop, don't ever stop."

With a victorious laugh, he sat back. Moving her legs off his shoulders, he bent them so that her knees were pressed against her chest. "Say it." The head of his cock resting closely against her entrance.

Bonnie whimpered with the need to have him inside of her.

"Tell me, Bon-Bon." He pleaded. "Tell me or this stops here."

"Yours," she cried out. "Always yours."

Thrusting into her as he kissed her, she tasted her blood and her juices on his lips before coming around him.

The vampire found his release moments after she did. Sitting up, he took in a sight that made him grimace. The girl's hair was stuck to her neck where he'd bitten her. More blood had begun to clot in her nether curls and he was pretty sure that bruises were forming on her hips due to his fingers. Fangs flashed and he bit his wrist and presented it to her. "Drink."

"I'd rather suck on something else." she replied coyly.

"Trust me. " He explained. "If you could see yourself right now, you'd Bobbittize me with my favorite straight razor." In response, he received a confused look. She was too young to get the reference. "I'll explain another time. Now drink."

With a long suffering sigh, she took his arm and wrapped her lips around the bite. When it closed, he helped her stand and steered her to the shower, careful to avoid the mirrors.

Under the warm water, he shampooed her hair and soaped her body, checking for any blemishes that his blood might not have healed. Content that her body was as it always was, he leaned back against the glass. He knew better, he chided himself. He understood his moods well and should not have taken her in his current frame of mind. He could have seriously hurt her.

Bonnie finished rinsing and turned to her lover. She misunderstood the pained look on his face. "Hey. We'll get him back." When he didn't respond, she stroked his cheek. "You okay?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He re-focused.

"huh?"

"That was rougher than it should have been." He made to leave the shower.

She caught his hand to keep him in place. "But, I'm guessing not as rough as it could have been."

Damon shook his head.

"You like a little pain, don't you." She suggested. "Receiving it and occasionally giving it."

Damon nodded. "Yeah. Even as a human." He admitted. "I think that's why Katherine wanted to keep me around."

"No doubt." Bonnie smiled before a yawn stretched her jaw.

"But I shouldn't have touched you in my present mood."

"In case you didn't notice, I enjoyed what we were doing." She turned off the water and reached for a towel. "And I'd like to try it again." Another yawn.

"We'll discuss it another time," Damon took another towel and dried her hair, not ready to get into a lengthy discussion about his kinks though her response surprised him. "You didn't sleep at all last night." He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimers: Vampire Diaries belong to L. J. Smith and the CW. I do not own them. I'm only taking the characters out to play.**

**I've always wondered what that first conversation between Damon and Liz Forbes would have been like after she tried to kill him.**

Friends, Lovers, Family

Chapter Two: Talking it Out

The afternoon sun cast the bedroom in a golden glow. Reluctant to wake his beauty, Damon shifted slowly so that he could watch her sleep. Bonnie tightened her grip on the arm wrapped about her waist but did not rouse.

It still amazed the vampire that she was his in every sense. He'd told her the truth when he'd claimed that he'd known her all her life. Keeping his distance when she was smaller, he watched over her. Something had told him that she was special even compared to the other witches of her line. Then Sheila called him. He was due to return to Mystic Falls because of the comet but Sheila wanted him back sooner. The youngest Bennett was at risk of becoming too much like her father and Sheila was determined that this would not happen.

It had thrilled him to no end when she opened the door the first time and checked him out. Then it scared him when he kissed her in Atlanta realizing that he was falling for her. He'd assumed that Katherine's betrayal had destroyed his ability to love. Obviously, this was not the case. And despite his belief that he needed to keep her at an arm's length, she foiled his intentions at every turn. He was hers, no escape.

A gentle hand knocked at the door. After a ten count, Lexie poked her head inside the room. "Hey." She smiled as she took in the sight of the sleepy lovers. "I figured that Bonnie probably hadn't eaten yet, so I brought back Chinese."

"Thanks, Lex. Give us a moment to dress and we'll be down." Damon responded.

A muffled, "Thank you," came from the face buried in the pillows trying to hide from the light.

Damon laughed as Lexie closed the door and went back to the lounge. "Come on sleepy head, I've been listening to your stomach growl for the last half hour."

"Liar."

"What do you think woke me?"

Bonnie sat up and smacked him playfully with her pillow.

Damon fended off her attack and tugged the blankets off her body. "Let's go eat."

Lexie had a small feast laid out on the coffee table when the pair made it downstairs. She was already noshing on a container of sweet and sour pork when they sat on the couch.

Bonnie looked through the remaining choices and picked up a tray of lemon chicken. "How's Elena holding up?" She asked, feeling guilty for not reaching out to her best friend.

"She's worried about Stefan like we all are but she's tougher than she thinks." Lexie answered between bites.

"Any ideas on where we should start looking for him? We don't know much about Klaus and we can only assume Elijah is with them."

"We watch the news for unexplained animal attacks," Damon said as he snagged the container of sesame beef.

"And if the police cover up such attacks? Then what?"

"The police may not tell the press much of anything." He explained. "But they will tell another cop."

"What are you thinking?" Lexie leaned forward.

"I'm thinking that Liz Forbes and I need to have a chat."

"She tried to kill you."

"She owes me." He said with conviction. "We'll find him. That's the easy part. It's getting Stef back on the wagon that will be difficult." He pointed his chop sticks at the blonde vampire. "Which is where you come in."

"I've done it before. I can do it again."

The next noon time, found Damon bouncing up the steps to the Sheriff's office. A large brown bag with the Mystic Grille logo emblazoned on it in his hand.

"Liz? You here?" He called from the entry.

"Damon," Liz stopped short as she stepped out of a back room. "What?" she swallowed. "What are you doing here?"

"Lunch." He held up the bag as though waiving a white flag. "Caroline told me that you left the house this morning without taking anything for your lunch."

"I tried to shoot you two days ago and you bring me lunch." The sheriff smiled in spite of herself. This was so ludicrous.

"And before this you actually succeeded in shooting me but that never stopped me from buying you lunch before." He took a seat at her desk and began pulling Styrofoam trays from the bag along with a couple of soda cans.

"Caroline explain to me about what I was compelled to forget."

"And you thought my friendship was a charade." He added.

"Yes. Why else would you want to hang around."

"I'll admit," he confessed while opening his soda. "I sought out your acquaintance to infiltrate the Council. We needed to know how much you all were aware of. But believe it or not, I do actually like you, Liz. Over the years, I've met a number of the Forbes heirs. You marrying into the line was the best thing to ever happen to them. Your gave them back bone when Caroline was born."

"She told me about how you've been teaching her how to control her urges." Liz finally sat in her usual chair and opened the food placed in front of her.

"Your daughter doesn't give herself enough credit. She's always been in control. " Damon told the Sheriff. "Were all vampires like her, there would be no need for the Council."

"But instead we have you helping the Council dispose of the problems. Sheila came to see me last night. She told me about Klaus and his designs on Elena Gilbert. She also told me about what is happening with Stefan and his problem. What can I do to help?"

"Thanks Liz. If we can track down Stefan's movements, Lexie and I can go get him before he can cause more damage. Can you keep an eye on any reports from other Sheriff's about animal attacks or missing persons?" He'd already spoken to Ric over coffee that morning who agreed to go road tripping with Damon and/or Lexie to check out possible incidents. Ana was also up for scouting though she'd be better as protection for the ever danger magnet of Elena as Caroline wasn't yet strong enough to even attempt facing off with Klaus, should he come back and discover their ruse.

"I'll start throwing out feelers and let you know what comes up."

"So what does the mayor know of the current situation?"

"I'd told her that there were vampires in town but I never named suspects. She doesn't even know that Tyler or any Lockwood was a werewolf."

"Good. Let's keep her in the dark as long as possible."

"Agreed." Liz picked up her burger and bit in. "I hope you brought dessert. I'm starving."

Damon laughed but pulled a clear container from the bag which contained two slices of strawberry cheesecake.

After polishing off their lunch, Liz dug through her database, and Damon headed home with a folder of leads and a stack of maps. It had only been two days but he suspected that if Klaus truly wanted a Ripper, he'd allow Stefan to go wild for a bit and get a good taste for the hunt and the kill before reigning him in.

Bonnie was flipping rapidly through a magazine as she sat cross legged on Damon's bed.

"I understand that those things are far more entertaining if you actually take time to look at the pictures or read the articles." Damon dropped his parcel on the dresser as he walked in.

Abandoning her spot, the cheerleader launched herself into the waiting vampire's arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Hi." was all she said before kissing him.

"Hi," he responded when allowed to speak. "What brought this on?" I thought you were having lunch with Elena and Caroline then going to a movie."

"That was the plan but then Elena showed up with a piss poor attitude."

"Huh?"

"She went off on Caroline and me for wanting to spend an afternoon enjoying ourselves while Stef was somewhere at the mercy of a maniac. She got angry with me because Stefan chose to barter himself for your cure and then she went off on Care because as she put it, you would never have been bitten by Tyler if she and Ty had paid more attention to what was going on around them instead of making sheep's eyes at each other."

"Sheep's eyes?" Who the hell uses the term sheep's eyes anymore?" He carried the girl to the bed and crawled on.

"Apparently Elena." Bonnie unwound her legs as her back came to rest against the mattress. "I know she's upset what with losing Jenna and John and Stefan missing, but she knows that you and Lexie will do everything in you power to find him. Anyway, Caroline decided she'd rather do the grocery shopping and make dinner for her mom and I left.

"No one gets to mess with my little brother but me." Damon agreed.

"Elena will calm down soon and be calling to apologize,"

"In the mean time, looks like I get your undivided attention." He grinned as he flicked the button on her denim shorts.

"Well you and Grams." She hummed as he kissed her neck.

"Yeah Sheila too." he murmured before resuming his attention on her skin.

Bonnie woke hours later to the sound of a printer. The bed was empty aside from herself. Looking around she found Damon sitting at his desk reading an article he'd just printed, She watched as he made a notation on an open map.

"Is it him?" She whispered as she read the article over his shoulder.

"Too soon to say." He stood and taped the article to the inside of the closet door. "I will find you little brother."


	3. Chapter 3: Slippery When Wet

**Disclaimers: Vampire Diaries belong to L. J. Smith and the CW. I do not own them. I'm only taking the characters out to play.**

**Happy Holidays. This chapter is strictly silliness and smut. It has nothing to do with the rest of my envisioned plot so don't worry if you want to skip, you won't miss a thing. I went to a specialty store a few weeks ago. I won't tell you what type of store as it will be apparent here in a minute. But in this store a display of large boxes. The sign in front of the boxes suggested what was inside would be good for parties. And while this may be true, I could see our beloved Bonnie and Damon enjoying such amusement all on their own. **

Friends, Lovers, Family

Chapter Three: Slippery When Wet

It was black, rectangular and took up most to the open floor space in the bedroom. Not immediately seeing her fiancé', Bonnie called out to him.

"Hey there," Damon greeted her from the bathroom doorway. He was holding a gallon sized white jug and presumably toweling water off of it. "I wasn't sure if you'd be late."

"Care had a dental appointment this afternoon and Elena needed to go with Jeremy and Alaric to see an attorney about guardianship."

"Oh right." Damon nodded in understanding. "Lexie told me that she was attending in order to help smooth the way for Ric." He set the jug on the floor next to the room's most recent addition.

"Damon, why is there a kiddie pool in the middle of our bedroom?" Curiosity getting the better of the witch.

"Oh it's not a pool. And certainly not for the kiddies." He responded, eyes filled with wild glee.

"Then what is it?" She was becoming annoyed.

"Think of it as an equalizer."

"An equalizer?"

"Last week, you complained that we couldn't have a fair fight, that the only way you could win against vampire speed and strength was to either fry my brain cells or body parts." He reached down and pressed a hand on the inflated side of the object.

"I remember," The previous week they had washed both her car and his. Once the task was completed, Damon chased her around the driveway, thoroughly drenching her with the garden hose. "But how does this," she tapped the ...well pool for lack of a better word with her foot.

"With this," Damon picked back up the gallon jug and presented it to her to read the label.

"AstroLube?" she read aloud. Then understanding dawned on her. "We're going to lube wrestle in there?"

"That was the idea," Damon was still grinning. "Wanna?"

Bonnie looked again at the wrestling arena and then at Damon, noticing the prominent bulge in his jeans. She licked her lips and nodded.

"Okay then, strip." Damon went to the foot of the bed and sat so that he could remove his books. "Oh and take off all the jewelry too. Don't want it accidentally catching and causing bodily harm." He glanced at the windows to confirm that he'd shut the drapes securely before removing his daylight ring.

"Where did you get this?" She asked. After quickly disrobing, Bonnie braided her hair and bound both the end and beginning of the braid into the same elastic so that her hair was off her neck and hopefully away from the sticky gel.

"There's a fetish shop a couple towns over." he advised while stripping off his jeans.

"Show me sometime." Bonnie all but commanded.

"As you wish."

Once ready, the couple stepped into their playing field. Damon opened the jug of lube and poured a small quantity over Bonnie's right shoulder, allowing it to flow over her back and chest.

Having been prepared for something cold to hit her skin, the girl gave him a questioning look. "It's warm."

"I let it sit in a sink of hot water all day to take the chill off." He ran his hand over her right breast and down to the apex of her thighs before tipping the jug over her left shoulder.

Bonnie shivered with the sensation of him stroking her. "Here, let me get you." She held out her hand for the jug.

Taking the lubricant, she stepped behind Damon as an evil thought came to mind. Time for some revenge for last week's soaking. Raising the container as high as she could, Bonnie up ended the contents over Damon's head.

Sputtering, Damon jerked away and turned to face her. "Think that's funny?"

"Uh huh." She grinned one of his own smirks then shrieked as he shook his head like a wet dog spraying her with gel.

They eyed each other for a second, each trying to formulate an attack plan then lunged forward. Damon reached around her neck and wove the fingers of his left hand into her hair just above where the braid started as Bonnie jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his chest then squeezed.

Damon was never in doubt about the cheerleader's strength and was therefore not surprised to feel her compress his ribcage. Tightening his grip on her head, he gently forced it to face him and he pressed a hard kiss to her lips.

Coming up for air, Bonnie flashed a smile, which was quickly replaced by a determined look as she squeezed harder. The lube on both their bodies cause her to slip down his body a fraction and she gasped as she felt him fully erect and throbbing at her juncture.

Sinking onto his knees, Damon bent forward and pressed her against the bottom of the arena. Releasing her head, he reached behind his back and grasped her locked ankles but his hands slipped. _Damn AstroLube. _ He looked down at her heaving chest as if distracted by the taunt nipples.

Using his distraction to her favor, Bonnie pressed her shoulders into the floor and twisted her hips and was able to reverse their positions. Scooting forward on her shins, she raised her body and dropped her full weight on the vampire's chest.

"Is that all you got, Babe?" she teased.

"Not hardly, sweet girl." With both hands still free, he reached out, clamping one hand at the back of her neck and the other at her thigh. Pulling at her neck and pushing at the thigh, he managed to break her hold and slide her face first to the floor again.

Rolling on top of her, he whispered in her ear. "Now the real play begins." Skimming his hand from her neck to shoulder and then worming between her body and the floor, he cupped a sleek breast. Using his other arm for what leverage he could, Damon pressed his cock between the cheeks of her pert bottom and shivered at the feeling. Bonnie gave a low moan but did not fight.

"Do you like that?" he whispered again as he moved minimally to glide between her cheeks once more.

"It feels good." She whispered hesitantly. "Are you going to...?" her voice broke off.

"Not today. " He nipped at her neck. The lube tasted slightly sweet. "I told you that we'd discuss things like that beforehand. " He sensed the trepidation leave her body. "Daydream on it for a while then tell me if you want to try."

Damon worked a thigh between her legs before carefully raising them both up onto their knees. They were close enough to the side of the area to use a wall for support. Exploring downward, Damon unerringly found her swollen clit and pressed down on it with the heel of his hand.

As Bonnie gave a louder moan, he increased the pressure and she pressed back against his pulsing cock. Inserting two fingers into her channel, he teased. "I think I won this match"

"This match." Bonnie was resigned.

"Then I'll cash in on my victory." He crowed and spun her around to face him.

Sinking down into a crossed legged position, he pulled her with him then pulled her legs up over his shoulders. The lube made entry easy and this time they both moaned.

Bonnie hooked her arms onto the outside of the arena wall for stability and balance as Damon thrust up into her. The new angle sending shivers up her spine. "More." she cried out as she felt her peak approaching.

Damon clutched her waist and brought her down again and again to meet his hips. As her climax hit, he allowed his to consume him as well.

Coming down from the post coital high, they both heard two sets of shoes on the stairs but only Damon caught Elena's voice as well as Ana's. Hustling to get out of the wrestling pool, he helped Bonnie up and pushed her toward the bathroom.

"Damon I want to talk to you." The door slammed open and the human doppelganger barged in. "Oh...what the?" she stuttered as she caught a glimpse of Damon's bare ass retreating into the bathroom and took in the site of the couple's new toy.

Understanding what they had been up to, Ana collapsed into a fit of giggles against the door frame. "Hey, can I borrow this sometime, Damon." She called out when she was able to speak again.


	4. Chapter 4: Prices

**Disclaimers: Vampire Diaries belong to L. J. Smith and the CW. I do not own them. I'm only taking the characters out to play.**

Friends, Lovers, Family

Chapter Four: Prices

"But why do you have to go to D.C.?" Damon whined from his spot in the bathtub.

"Because," Bonnie smiled at the reflection of him in the vanity mirror as she pinned up her hair. "Dad's flying Grams and me out to him there as an early birthday present."

"He's at the Capitol on business, right?" Damon frowned. "So it'd just be you and Sheila during the day while he works." Rudy Bennett cared more for his job then his family, of course he'd fly the ladies out rather than come home for his little girl's eighteenth birthday.

"It will be good." Bonnie walked to the edge of the tub. "Grams and I will spend our days at the Smithsonian. Now scoot forward."

"Bossy much." He pouted but did as she commanded.

The girl slipped into the warm water behind him and wrapped her legs around his waist. Scraping manicured nails against his scalp, she clutched at the raven locks that had grown longer over the past few months. A firm tug pulled him downward so that his head was pillowed between her breasts.

Damon purred in contentment. Hesitant to draw her too quickly into anything overtly freaky, he'd taken immense pleasure in encouraging her more dominant tendencies.

"So what are you going to tell your father about this?" He picked up the hand that was not so stealthily headed to his groin and kissed just above her engagement ring. "Or are you leaving it behind?"

"Oh I am not taking it off."

" Then I should go with you." She was still underage after all. Best to face the music.

"Dad will never even notice it."

"Darling, your father may be obtuse about most of what you and Sheila get up to," Damon sat up and turned to look at his finance', "but he won't overlook a stone of that caliber, not when it's on his teenaged daughter's hand."

Bonnie tugged at his shoulder till he was once again cradled against her bosom. "How many people have said anything about the ring or our engagement?"

Damon thought about it. Sheila hugged him like there was no tomorrow and Lexie had just smiled knowingly and complimented him on his choice. Whether she'd meant the ring or the girl, he supposed it didn't matter. Ana had given him a thumbs up then hinted not so subtly to Jeremy that he needed to start saving his pennies. The boy gave a resigned sigh but within the week he had a job busing tables at the Grille. There had been squeals of delight out of both Barbie and Elena though the latter really didn't have her heart in it. But neither the wolf nor the quarterback seemed to know what was going on. For that matter, Ric seemed oblivious as well. He looked again at the ring before letting the hand bearing it resume its quest. "You put a spell on the ring?"

"Yup," She popped the 'p'. "No one will even know it's there unless I purposely draw attention to it. It's a protection against being mugged but it works rather well in this case as too." Her hand reached its destination and took a firm grip on his stiffening member and stroked deftly. "Besides, you need to stay here and look for Stefan."

"But..." He trailed off as she began plucking at his nipple.

"No buts. I'll be back before you know it." She bit his earlobe before whispering, "Now come for me. Show me how much you want to be inside me."

An hour and a quick shower later, the pair were dressed and headed to the main level as Caroline and Elena entered the boarding house.

"Ladies," Damon nodded a quick greeting before heading into the kitchen to make coffee. He'd noted the box of party decorations Caroline was carrying. They were here to prepare for Elena's birthday celebration. Elena hadn't wanted a party as she was still depressed over Stefan's departure but Caroline insisted and had pleaded with Damon to allow the house's locale.

"Damon?" Elena's voice came from behind. She'd been avoiding talking to him the past week or two, most especially after she arrived unannounced and caught him taking Bonnie against the a wall in the library. To make matters worse, he'd been feeding off his witch and giving her his blood at the same time. They'd been loud and less than tidy in their blood play. Poor Miss Gilbert had been shocked and embarrassed. She'd nearly fell down the porch steps in her escape.

"What can I do for you, Elena?" He said, starting the coffee pot before turning to face her.

"Caroline said she overheard her mom talking about a vicious animal attack in Memphis. Do you think it could be Klaus?"

"Could be." He tried not to show any emotion. He looked over the girl's shoulder to see Bonnie in the doorway biting her lip. "I'll look into it."

"I could go with you." Elena offered.

Thank goodness for Caroline as the blonde bounced in and grabbed Elena's arm. "Come on, let's decide where we should set up the bar."

As the two friends headed into the lounge, Damon looked at Bonnie for a moment. "I'm going to go call the Sheriff."

Back upstairs, he opened the closet door and stared at the articles he'd been pinning to the inside as he dialed a familiar. "Hey Liz, you might have a lead for me?"

Bonnie carried a mug to him just as he hung up with Liz. "I need to go out for a few hours. Can you hold down the fort here?" He asked.

"Yeah, Lexie is on her way to help with the decorating."

"Good, I'll take Ric with me." He took a sip of the coffee.

"Be careful."

"We'll be back in time to chaperone." He handed back the mug and picked up his jacket. "Hide the good booze."

Ric dozed while resting his head against the camaro's passenger window and Damon couldn't help his smirk.

"The boarding house has been rather quiet as of late." He began.

"What was that?" Ric roused and sat up.

"Well Ana is shacked up with Jeremy in his room and Lexie spends most of her nights over at Casa Gilbert too for some unknown reason."

"Are you implying something is going on with Lexie and myself?"

"Not at all." The vampire was grinning widely. "I just didn't think that house had so many bedrooms and you always look like you need a nap."

"Come on, man," Ric complained. "Jenna has only been gone a few months. Lexie's been playing den mother. She stays in Jenna's room and I'm couch surfing,"

"Trust me, I know all about Lexie's need to nurture. If she's becoming a problem, send her packing on back home."

"I'd still be on the couch." The teacher confessed. "I can't even go in that room. Maybe I should go back to the loft."

You won't do that." Damon looked at his friend. "The Gilberts need you and you need them. Of course, if you and Lex..."

"Don't even go there."

Damon just laughed and continued driving.

Party goers were congregating in the main level of the house by the time Damon returned home. He'd already dropped off Ric so he could clean up. Rushing up to their suite, Damon stripped down for his own shower.

"Was it him?" Bonnie let herself into the room and locked the door behind her.

"It was text book Stefan in ripper mode."

"But no sign of where he and Klaus are headed?"

"There are a couple clues about places to look but nothing concrete." Damon shook his head. It seemed as though Klaus and Stefan were trying to catch a werewolf but why.

Bonnie stepped closer. Looking him over, she noted his cock twitching to life. Reaching up, she brushed a thumb over his elongated fangs. "So which is it? Hunger or are you just horny."

"Both." Damon admitted as he clasped her hips.

"We sadly don't have time to take care of both appetites but I can keep you from eating Elena's guests." And she moved the hair away from the side of her neck.

"No reason why we both can't enjoy." He smirked and pushed her backward onto the bed. Dropping to his knees between her splayed legs, he pushed up her short skirt and nuzzled the satin panties that were already becoming damp.

"Damon," she breathed

"Hush, Sweetheart." He pulled the fabric to the side and pressed his thumb against her clit before licking the inside of her thigh.

Bonnie lifted her hips as she felt his fangs scrape delicate skin. This allowed her lover to slide a single dexterous finger into her channel as he bit into her femoral artery. She stuffed her fist into her mouth to keep from shouting her release as Damon simultaneously pumped now two digits into her while drinking his fill.

After finishing, he opened his wrist and held it up for her so that the wound could close.

Bonnie lapped as the pooling blood like a kitten with cream. When it was gone, she sucked his two fingers into her mouth, tasting her own essence. "You better go shower." she told him when she'd licked him clean. "I smell kerosene."

"And you better put on some jeans." Damon finally stood.

"Why? Don't you like this skirt?"

"We've shared blood and I can smell your desire. Unless you want us getting caught again, put on something less accessible." He then headed for his shower.

Bonnie laughed but took a pair of faded jeans out of the closet.

The party was going full swing but Ric and Damon had taken refuge on the patio.

"I'm no good at this whole guardian thing." Ric complained as he drank his bourbon.

"Why do you say that?" Damon refilled his friend's glass.

"Look at them." Ric gestured to the party. "What responsible adult allows underage drinking? And over there." He discretely pointed to where they could see Matt, Jeremy and Ana sharing a joint. "And doing nothing while one of my jailbait students sleeps with a vampire old enough to be her great great grandfather." Ric hung his head. "I'm a mess. If it were not for Lexie, those kids wouldn't stand a chance."

"Ric, don't go there." Damon had already done this discussion on several occasions. "And all is not as bleak as you make it out to be." He smiled as Bonnie stepped outside to join them. Taking her hand, he draped it onto his own shoulder. "Your jailbait student is in very good hands, I assure you." With a flourish, he drew attention to the bespelled ring.

"What are you babbling about." Ric squinted at what Damon obviously wanted him to look at. Then his eyes grew wide. "Where? How? You two are?"

Bonnie and Damon both laughed as Ric tried to hug them both at once.

"Grams called." Bonnie said when her teacher finally let go. "She said we need to come over right away."

"Did she say why?"

"No but she sounded nervous."

"Then let's go." Damon handed the bourbon to Ric. "You got this?"

"If I don't, Lexie certainly does." Ric concluded.

Sheila Bennett was not inside her house when Bonnie and Damon arrived. Catching site of her lit chiminea from the sliding glass door, the couple crossed into the back yard.

"Grams?" Bonnie called, looking around.

"Sheila, where are you?" Damon didn't like this.

"Up here, brother."

Bonnie and Damon looked at each other and then upward to the roof. Stefan was standing at the highest point. He held Sheila by the back of her neck with one hand while he clamped the other over her mouth.

Since her spell to raise Jeremy back from the dead, Sheila's magic had diminished greatly. Stefan had access to her home so it would have been easy to force her to make the call to Bonnie.

"Let her go, brother." Damon ordered. "You got us here."

"You need to stay away from me." Stefan's voice was deadly calm. "Don't look for me again. This is what I want."

Bonnie saw the fear in her Grandmother's eye and the frustration of not being able to defend herself. "What about Elena?" She needed to distract Stefan.

"Its better this way." Stefan removed his hand from Sheila's mouth to grip her arm instead. "We never had a future together."

"Fine, Stef." Damon was already looking for the best spot to jump up on the roof but Sheila needed to be out of the way first. "Whatever you want. I do not need to be cleaning up anymore of your messes. Just let Sheila go." He gave Bonnie a sidelong glance to which she blinked slowly in understanding.

"Not yet." Stefan brought himself and Sheila closer to the edge. "I want you to swear to me that...ooowwwwww!" The vampire let go off his hostage to clutch at his head in pain. Sheila might have grown weaker, but Bonnie had grown stronger with each passing day.

Sheila scrabbled away from her assailant and Damon leapt to the roof to grapple with his sibling. As the two struggled, being equally matched, an anguished cry tore the night. Looking for the source, they saw Bonnie running toward the broken body of her grandmother as it lay on the cement below them. In her haste to put distance between herself and Stefan, Sheila had lost her footing causing her to stumble and crash to earth.

Damon jumped down and joined Bonnie at his best friend's side. Touching her, he knew it was already too late. He'd saved her from death once before but she was past his blood's healing abilities. Looking at Bonnie as she kneeled next to him, tears running down her cheeks, he made to scoop up the older woman. "We can take her to the witch house. You can bring her back."

"I can't." the girl tried to wipe at her eyes. "Grams wouldn't tell me the spell she used. She said it was too dangerous and made me promise to never try it." She began crying harder.

Enveloping Bonnie in his arms, Damon fought back his own tears. He looked up at the roof but Stefan was already gone. Still clutching Bonnie tightly, Damon threw his head back and howled his pain.

Across town, Jeremy stirred from sleep when he heard someone softly call his name. Sitting up in bed, he saw that Ana was still asleep next to him.

"Jeremy, we need to talk." Sheila came out of the shadows.

"Miss Sheila? What are you doing here?" The boy swallowed hard, afraid of her answer.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy." Sheila's ghost tried to stroke the boy's hair but then clasped her hands in front of her when she realized that she could not touch him. "When I brought you back, I knew that I would have to a pay a price, one I paid tonight. I didn't think that you would need to pay one as well."

"What price?"

"You already know." Sheila smiled sadly. "I need you to take a message to my granddaughter, Damon, and the others.

After they had calmed, Damon called Liz Forbes. She arrived promptly along with emergency services to take the body. The sun had already risen by the time they had filled in the sheriff of the night's events and then completed all the paperwork for the official incident.

When the tired pair entered the boarding house, they were immediately accosted by a furious Elena. "Where the hell have you two been?" she screeched.

"Now's not the time," Damon warned as he pushed past her and lead Bonnie into the lounge.

But Elena was not deterred. "I know you've been tracking Klaus on your own."

"I already tried to explain," Lexie interjected from her place by the bar. "It's not Klaus but Stefan we've been following."

"I don't believe you." Elena swung around. "Stefan wouldn't do the things written about in those articles."

"Elena," Lexie shook her head.

"I can't deal with this," Bonnie stepped away from the shelter of Damon's arms. "I need to call my Dad." Taking out her phone she moved to the far corner and dialed.

Lexie looked from the witch to the other vampire. "Something's happened."

"Daddy, please call back as soon as you get this." Bonnie obviously having reached her father's voicemail. "It's important."

Damon poured himself a drink and finished the glass in one go. "Stefan came back to town."

"He did?" Elena smiled, "Where is he? Why isn't he here?"

"He wanted us to stop looking for him." He ignored the former cheerleader. "He was using Sheila for emphasis. It didn't end well." Damon's eyes held Bonnie's alone. "I should have gotten to her first not gone after my brother."

"It was an accident." Jeremy called from the doorway where he and Ana stood. "Sheila said you aren't to blame yourselves or Stefan for what happened."

"What do you mean?" Bonnie stepped closer. "How could my grandmother have told you anything. She's...she's dead."

Elena and Lexie both gasped.

"Sheila said she'd been living on borrowed time since she brought me back. " Jeremy related. "It was the price she paid for wielding power only meant for gods."

"How could you know this?" Damon asked.

"My death opened a window for me to see and hear spirits. It's the price I now pay for a second chance. Sheila came to me last night after she died. She wanted you to know this was no one's fault and she wants us to keep fighting to get Stefan back. She says that we are all the family that each of us has now and to hang tight to each other."

"That sounds like Grams." Bonnie wiped at her tears.

Jeremy took Bonnie's hand and squeezed it softly. "She especially wanted me to tell you that she will always be watching over you." With one more squeeze, he let go and rejoined Ana.

Lexie had her arms wrapped around her middle. "So what now?"

Damon looked around the shell shocked group. Good question, he thought.


	5. Chapter 5: How do You Say Goodbye

**Disclaimers: Vampire Diaries belong to L. J. Smith and the CW. I do not own them. I'm only taking the characters out to play and messing around with the TV show's canon time line.**

Friends, Lovers, Family

Chapter Five: How do you say Goodbye

The cemetery was deserted when Damon returned. A large arrangement of yellow roses hide the loose dirt of a fresh grave. The vampire gave a chuckle.

"Well, Cara mia," he spoke aloud. "You told me once that I should have let Bonnie believe that you and I had a torrid affair when you were younger." He sat on the ground beside Sheila's final resting place. "I didn't do that but damn if your son doesn't think that you and I were sleeping together as in the recent past." When he found out that Rudy wasn't going to get flowers for his mother's funeral, Damon immediately ordered the biggest, most ostentatious arrangement the florist could devise.

Taking a bottle of expensive tequila out of his jacket, he cracked the seal and took a long pull before settling the bottle among the flowers where it wouldn't immediately be seen. After a long moment, he stood and dusted off his pant legs, preparing to leave. Running frustrated hands through his hair he finally turned back to face where the headstone would soon be placed.

"Damn it, Shelia." He growled. "I've said goodbye to a lot of Bennetts since this whole guardian gig started but this...you...you are by far the hardest." He sunk back down to the ground to sit again. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. Emily's children were afraid of me and so were their offspring till by your grandmother's and mother's time. Then I was just a hired thug with fang. Hell, they didn't even pay attention when I disappeared for several years without so much as a forwarding address." He ranted. "I could deal with saying good riddance to them. But along came you, all of fifteen years old, five foot two inches of pure attitude. And what happens, you become my best friend when I didn't have anyone." He calmed slightly at the remembrance of those first couple years. "I told you things that I've still never told anyone and probably never will. If it hadn't been for you, who knows what I would have done to avenge the time in lock down. You kept me grounded and focused on something other than my anger."

He stood again and paced. "Now what am I to do without you? Stefan is gone off to try to create more hybrids with Klaus. I know my brother is still buried inside the ripper somewhere otherwise he would have let me die a few days ago but I have no idea how Lexie will bring him back to the surface this time."

The day after Elena's party, she'd convinced Ric to go into the mountains with her to find some group of werewolves having a pow-wow over the full moon. Wanting back up, Ric called Damon. Since Bonnie had to stick close to her father, newly arrived back from DC, Damon trailed the hunter and doppelganger into the woods. He'd been unsuccessful in convincing Elena to abandon the search but he did get to see his brother.

Stefan didn't want to come home. Whether it was because of Sheila's accident or the blood high, it couldn't be said but he did save his older sibling from another wolf bite.

"And now I'm dealing again with over-zealous council members." Caroline Forbes' father arrived in town determine to condition his daughter not to crave blood. Liz and Tyler managed to get Caroline safely away from him but when Liz told Damon of what had transpired, he felt the shadow of the Augustines hanging over him. God help Bill Forbes should Damon catch him alone in a dark alley. "I need to you, Cara." Damon let a single tear fall. "I need the girl who was never afraid to tell me exactly what she thought."

"Thought I'd find you here." Lexie called from behind him.

"Hey Lex." The dark haired vampire turned to acknowledge her. "Something wrong?"

"Just worried about you." the blonde came to a stop next to him. "You left without a word to anyone."

"Just needed to have a chat with Sheila."

"Maybe I should have brought Jeremy with me." Lexie smiled.

"Private conversation. No need for the medium."

"Bonnie would have come if her father would let her get more than an arm's length away from him. Think he's on to you?"

Damon laughed. "Bon-Bon's cloaking spell seems to be working well to keep us under radar. So I think I'm safe for the moment."

"She asked me to tell you that her window is still unlocked."

He'd been sneaking into Bonnie's room every night since Sheila' s death to hold her while they grieved. This night would be no different.

"Have you caught up with Lucy?" Lexie interrupted his thoughts.

"Ah yes, the witch cousin." Damon took one last look at the grave and then turned, offering his arm to the woman.

"She's thinking of staying in town for a bit. I offered her a room at the boarding house." Lexie said almost shyly. "I hope that was okay." It wasn't her home and with Stefan gone, she wasn't sure of her place with Damon and their friends.

"I somehow doubt that she's the type to go running off with the good silver service." Damon assured her.

"I'll be at the house tonight too."

"Not going to keep an eye on the Gilberts?"

"Alaric needs to start getting used to his roles as their guardian. He can't do that if I'm playing matron."

"Is that all you were doing?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," she retorted with indignation. "And wipe that smirk off your face, young man."

"Make me," Damon looked around to make sure no one was around to observe them. "Lexie and Alaric sitting in a tree." He sing-songed.

"Oh hell no," Lexie tried to grab him before he vamp sped away, snickering.

As the two vampires chased each other around the cemetery till they reached the gate, a shimmer of energy waived next to yellow roses. Sheila Bennett smiled. She'd known that her best friend would be there for Bonnie, but would her granddaughter be enough to keep the torrent of Damon's emotions in check? Seeing the sisterly affection in the eyes of the older blonde, Sheila let out a sigh of relief. Her boy had someone to knock him down a peg or so when necessary. He would be okay. They would all be okay.

"This isn't goodbye." The ghost whispered. "I'll always be here with you."

Damon's phone began to vibrate under the pillow where he'd slid it as he climbed into Bonnie's bed a few hours earlier.

Not recognizing the number he answered, wishing for all the world that it'd be Stefan on the other end. That his brother had some jolt bringing him back to himself and he wanted help. "Hello?" He said at a low whisper.

"Try Chicago." a rich female voice told him.

"Katherine?" but the line was already dead.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimers: Vampire Diaries belong to L. J. Smith and the CW. I do not own them. I'm only taking the characters out to play and messing around with the TV show's canon time line.**

Friends, Lovers, Family

Chapter Six: Past and Present

Rush hour traffic was just beginning as Damon and Lexie strolled down the Chicago side streets in the afternoon sun. With one hand tucked into the crook of her escort's elbow, the woman gestured to remnants of the city she first remembered. Enjoying playing the gentleman again, he contented himself to let her ramble, nodding and smiling in the appropriate places.

"How long has it been since you darkened the streets of the windy city?" She finally asked, in hopes of something more than a non-verbal response.

"It's been quite a while." He admitted. "I've always been drawn more to cities closer to the ocean. New York, Boston, New Orleans, LA and Seattle."

Lexie smiled indulgently at him hoping to keep him talking about himself. She'd spent so many years thinking that he was the bad guy, the cause of all Stefan's issues. But that was then. Now in less than a year, she was starting to understand how vulnerable and sensitive the older of the two Salvatores must have been when the boys were human and how that vulnerability has shaped the vampire he became. Yet she still knew next to nothing about him. What had he done to fill the years when he wasn't looking after the Bennett witches or antagonizing his younger brother? Who did he count as friends? What fed his soul?

"So now that we've gotten away from our third wheel," Damon interrupted her train of thought, "care to fill me in on what's really going on between you and Ric?"

"Huh?" the blonde tried to look confused but could not hold it so she turned to look into a store window.

"Not buying it, Lex. I tell you to pack for a road trip and the first thing you do is call your new BFF and give him the news."

"I...I just wanted to borrow some of his toys for this trip." She blushed. "Vervain darts, you know. I didn't think that Elena would get the idea to come with us."

The oldest surviving Gilbert had taken Alaric's care package and planted herself in the back of the camaro, refusing to be left behind.

It had been Lexie who relented first. "She needs to see what he's become these past months." She told Damon before thrusting an old leather bound journal at the teenager. "You better read this."

When Elena asked about the contents, she was told that despite his lack of control, Stefan was rather eloquent in his description of his bloody visit to Chicago. Initially the girl did not want to pry into her boyfriend's escapades but Lexie was quite insistent that Elena know what she might be facing.

Upon arriving in Chicago, both vampires were surprised to find that Stefan's old apartment was as he'd left it years ago. Lexie was even more surprised to learn that Damon had known so much about his brother's exploits that he even knew about the list of victims written in the hidden closet.

"You said that you and Stef didn't cross paths here when he was on his bender." Lexie questioned.

"We didn't." Damon explained. "After you summarily dismissed me before sending him off to Germany, I needed something to be close to him. Even if it wasn't really him. So I retraced his steps from New Orleans back to here and the apartment." Seeing her tense at his reminder of her role in keeping the brothers apart, he patted the hand still resting on his arm. "It's okay. I stayed at the apartment for a few weeks, read through the journals he'd left here. You did what you thought was best to get him back on track and what you thought was best to keep him there."

"But that didn't absolve me from a little revenge on your part, did it?" She chided him.

"Hey, it isn't like I left you out in the daylight without any cover." Damon tried to appear affronted. "Besides, can you honestly say that you didn't enjoy that night at least in some small part?"

Lexie laughed. "Damon Salvatore, what would your fiancé say if she could hear you right now?"

"Bonnie is well aware that I wasn't exactly a blushing virgin when she and I met or even when I became a vampire. She knows her starring role in my present and future so has no need to worry about my torrid past." As he spoke, Damon brought them to a halt in front of a night club. "I wasn't sure she'd still be here."

"Who?"

"Gloria." Damon dropped her arm in order to try the entrance door which was unlocked. Ushering her inside, he looked around till he spotted a platinum haired woman organizing bottles behind the main bar.

"Gloria?" He addressed her. The signs of age were just starting to make themselves known on the witch's face. Though that should not have surprised him given her actual age.

Gloria looked up at the pair before her, giving Lexie only a cursory glance before smiling widely at Damon. "It's been a long time, Damon."

"Too long." He agreed.

"Well don't just stand there, handsome. Come give me a hug." She stepped around the bar and into the open.

"Yes ma'am." Damon embraced the woman warmly.

"MMMMmmm," she hummed. "You always were my favorite.

"What is it about you that witches find so irresistible?" Lexie looked on in amusement.

"Well, just look at the man." Gloria advised as she pushed him to arm's length. "He is sex personified. When he bowed his head under the scrutiny, she chuckled. "And don't you go pretending that this isn't all going straight to that already swelled head of yours, pretty boy. Ah if only I were young again."

"You should have spoken up when we met, sweet lady." Damon winked at her.

She then turned to Lexie and held out a hand. "I'm Gloria. How long have you hanging with the heart breaker here?"

"Lexie," the blonde vampire shook the witch's hand. "Heart breaker?"

"Lexie and I are looking for Stefan." Damon quickly interrupted. "We got a tip that he's in town. I don't suppose he's been by."

Gloria let out a sigh and walked behind the bar, taking down a couple glasses and a bottle of bourbon. "He's been by, him and that other one." She shivered before pouring the alcohol.

"Klaus." Lexie nodded.

"Is that what he's calling himself these days?" Gloria nudged glasses to her guests. "Last time, he was calling himself Nick."

"Last time?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"You know I don't like getting mixed up with your vampire bull shit." the witch stated.

"Gloria, my brother is in trouble. I just want to get him away from Klaus and back home."

Gloria looked over the two and finally relented. "The first time I met your brother, he started palling around with this Nick..Klaus ..whatever and his sister." She sifted through some framed photographs that were dispersed among the bottle, finally taking one down and handing it to Damon.

Damon looked at the picture and handed it to Lexie who frowned at the image of Stefan and Klaus being chummy.

"How could Stef have known Klaus?" Lexie pondered.

"He couldn't have." Damon was certain.

"That's what was so odd today." Gloria continued. "Back in the day," she tapped the picture frame. "they were thick as thieves. I wasn't happy about them making this place their personal playground but I couldn't do much about it. It was easy enough to see that Nick and his sister where old and powerful. But today, it was like Stefan barely knew or tolerated his companion."

"Stefan has black outs when he goes on his binges but he always remembers later everything he's done. How could he forget Klaus?" Lexie pondered.

"Could an older, stronger vampire compel a younger vampire?" Damon asked of both ladies.

Gloria thought for a moment. "Perhaps, maybe. I suppose if the older vampire was much older."

"You mentioned a sister."

"Yes. Rebekah's her name, as I recall. She was a bit uppity and pretty but seemed quite taken with your brother and he with her."

"What happened to them?"

"I'm not sure. The club got raided one night but it wasn't the usual G-men looking for bootleg booze. One had drawings of this Nick and his sister. Till today I'd not seen either of them again."

"And Stefan?"

"The club had to lay low for a few weeks. I saw Stefan on the street a few times but he was usually by himself. He never came around after we re-opened."

"It might have been around then that I found him." Lexie added.

"Did they say what they came to Chicago for?" Damon didn't think that the city would be a Mecca for werewolves.

"Damon, I told you I don't want mixed up in this." Gloria stared into his puppy dog eyes. "Fine. Klaus wants to make hybrids."

"Yes we know that. He can't keep them alive."

"He wants me to work a little magic and glean some intel from beyond the veil."

"Can you do that?"

"I think so." Gloria put the now empty glasses in the pan to go back to the kitchen. "They are to come back this evening if they can locate something I've asked for."

"Well then," Damon stood. "Lexie and I will be back tonight."

"Don't you be doing anything stupid." Gloria protested.

"We're not going to pick a fight if we can help it. We just want Stefan back." Lexie assured the other woman.

"Do you really think Klaus will let Stefan walk away without a fight?" Damon whispered to Lexie as they exited the club.

"Wishful thinking." was her response.

Elena's report of her near run in with Klaus and Stefan's apparent silence had given the pair cause for hope. Perhaps Stefan wasn't as far gone as they feared.

But such hope was short lived. Klaus didn't seemed surprised when he was approached by Lexie and Damon in the empty club. He even scoffed when Damon offered to trade himself for Stefan if Klaus wanted a henchman. And while they'd had the best of intentions for not starting a fight, Damon lost his cool and nearly got himself staked. That was when Gloria stepped in and threatened to torch the two vampires.

"Enough Damon." Lexie hauled him up. "Let's go. Ten years is nothing in the grander scheme of things." She put on her best poker face. They'd bought Elena some time to work on Stefan.

"Luv, at the end of ten years, I doubt Stefan will ever want to go back." Klaus said as he lounged back with a drink.

Damon tried to lunge again at the original but Lexie held him tight and pulled him outside.

Sadly Elena had no luck convincing her boyfriend to return with them. When Lexie and Damon got to the car, Stefan told the trio in no uncertain terms that he was fine and that they should all move on with their lives.

"Brother, take Elena back to Mystic Falls and keep her safe. This is done." The younger Salvatore was blunt.

"If this is about what happened to Sheila, we know it wasn't your fault. It was my job to protect her first." Damon almost pleaded.

"People will keep getting hurt or killed if you don't give up." Stefan retorted. "Lex, go home. You did your best but I always was a hopeless cause."

Elena was in tears but she straightened her back as she yanked open the back door of the camaro. "Damon, I've heard enough. Can you take me home?" She climbed into the car and stared straight ahead.

Damon looked to Lexie who only nodded before she reached out to touch Stefan. "You were never hopeless. Till now." She then slid into the front passenger seat.

"Guess I'll be seeing you, brother." Damon finally said. "Take care of yourself. Don't get staked, okay."

Elena held it together until they were blocks away from Gloria's club. Then she began to cry in earnest. "How can he give up like this?" she whimpered. "Doesn't he believe that we can help him?"

"He's trying to protect you, Lena." Lexie tried to soothe the girl.

"My brother always did have a white knight complex." Damon added. "But this isn't over, not by a long shot."

"It has to be. " Elena wiped at her face. "At least for me. He told me to move on and that's what I have to do. No more trying to bring him back. School, college applications, and getting back to a normal life for Jer and me."

Lexie reached over and squeezed her hand. "I'll be there as long as you want my help."

"Ditto, little Gilbert."

After the girl dozed off, the vampires looked to their own plans.

"I should have just snapped Stefan's neck and stuffed him in the trunk." Damon growled.

"Might have worked but Klaus would have followed us back to the Falls. And that would have brought to light that Elena is still alive and well. "

"Snatch Stefan and keep moving. Stay as far away from the Falls as we can."

"For how long? Katherine's run from Klaus her entire life. " Seeing his hands tighten on the steering wheel, she slumped against the seat. "We're tired and frustrated. Let's take five, spend some time with the other people we love."

"Yeah." Damon agreed. It was cutting it close to Bonnie's birthday. His gifts to her were already wrapped and tucked away in his dresser but he wanted to take her to dinner and celebrate. Originally he'd plan that it would be Bonnie, Sheila and himself to dinner but now it was going to be just the two of them unless her father was still in town or Bonnie wanted friends to join them. It was after all her birthday.

It was late evening the following day when the camaro crossed the city line into Mystic Falls. Pulling up the Gilbert house, Damon was only a little surprised to see Lexie climb out of the car as well.

"I'm just going to debrief Ric on what transpired in Chicago." She shrugged.

"Sounds good. Tell him, we'll have a drink soon." Damon glanced toward where Elena was already letting herself inside. "Think she'll be okay? " Even after waking, the girl had been uncharacteristically quiet during the ride home. Damon had even offered to let her drive for a while hoping that might take her mind off the situation but she declined and continued to stare out the window.

"Give her time. I'll talk to her." Bending back into the car. "We're getting him back. Now go see Bonnie."

Given that he was unsure if Mr. Bennett was still in town, Damon decided that he'd go home, shower and then head back to see his girl. Later he'd blame fatigue and his mind being on his brother but upon entering the boarding house, he didn't pick up on the heart beat or faint electric hum that were coming from his bedroom. He could not, however, miss the sight of Bonnie stretched out on her side in bed wearing a dark purple silky baby doll. The hum was coming from the slim , also purple, vibrator she was holding.

"Hi," she said as she pressed her thumb against the base of the toy, successfully shutting it off.

"Hi," Damon's eyes trailed over his lover. The nightie only came to just over her hip and looked to be slit in the center from a bow just under her breasts to the hem thus revealing a matching thong. "Am I interrupting something?" He licked his lips.

"Not at all," She purred. "I was just getting warmed up while waiting for you."

"How did you know when.."

"Lexie has been texting me since you left Chicago." Bonnie informed him. "I'm so sorry, Damon." Setting down the vibrator, she came up to her knees and held out her arms.

The vampire eagerly went into her embrace, holding her tightly with his face buried in her shoulder.

They stayed like that for some minutes, neither speaking. The witch giving the man she loved all the strength she could.

Damon finally straightened and ran his hands down her bare thighs. "I take it that your father is back to business."

"Yup, Lucy and I took him to the airport early this morning and then we went shopping." She fingered the lacy top of her outfit. "You like?"

"Very much." He slid his hands upward to cup her ass, discovering that it wasn't a thong but a g-string she was wearing.

"Then you are way over dressed." She teased as she pushed him back a step then settled back on the mattress again.

"Where is your cousin anyway?" Damon pulled his shirt over his head before toeing off his shoes.

"She is keeping an eye on Grams' house for me." She clicked back on the vibrator and began running it over the triangle of satin that hid her secrets.

Making quick work of his jeans as Bonnie's breathing quickened, he slid onto the mattress next to her. "Was that a new purchase today as well."

"Uhh huh." She gave a slight nod. "I've never owned one before and Lucy said that you might enjoy having a private show."

Damon grinned. "I'm liking your cousin more and more. A very good influence on you."

Bonnie's soft giggle turned into a moan as he discovered that the bow just below her breasts was actually holding the baby doll closed. Tugging at the ribbon, the top came open and Damon latched onto a tight nipple with his lips.

He continued to give each taunt peak attention in turn as Bonnie clicked through the settings on the vibrator until she found a rhythm that she found most pleasing. So caught up in the feeling it caused, she was surprised when Damon picked up her wrist and pulled her hand away from her center. Before she could question his action, he winked at her then leaned forward and sucked the toy into his mouth and ran his tongue over the length. When he deemed it sufficiently wet, he guided her hand back to her core and hooked the fabric to the side with a finger so that her sensitive folds were directly exposed to the vibrations.

The increased sensation caused Bonnie's hips to buck erratically and her head to thrash against the pillow.

After dampening his own fingers, he slid first one, then two into her heat as she continued to buck. While he could tell she was on the verge, she wasn't going to tip into her release. Getting her up onto her knees, he positioned himself behind and entered her with a single smooth stroke. He moaned with her as he felt the vibrations through the wall of warm flesh.

"God, Damon. Too much. I can't." Bonnie wailed.

"Yes you can," Damon pumped slowly within her. "Let it go." He kneaded one breast as he clutched her hip with the other hand. "Come for me." he pleaded just before he sunk his fangs into her neck.

"Daaaaammmmoooonnnn!" She shrieked as her orgasm finally crested, carrying him to his as well.

Collapsing back onto the sheets with her, Damon reached over and turned off the vibrator that had been dropped before cuddling the shaking girl. "You okay." He asked once she calmed.

"Never better." Bonnie smiled at him. "Not sure I can walk yet but otherwise wonderful."

"I told you, Bon-Bon. There is no limit to the pleasure we can create between us."

They lay together quietly for a while until Damon looks at the time and grins. It's just after midnight. "Happy Birthday, Beautiful." He kisses her. "Would you like your gifts now or later?"

"Hmmm." She presses a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "Now, I think."

"Okay," he starts to climb off the bed until he's pulled back.

"Nope. You stay put." The witch orders as she hops up.

"Huh?"

"Just don't move. It's my birthday after all."

Damon watches as Bonnie goes first to his dresser and retrieves a silk tee shirt that she quickly dons before getting something out of her own dresser. Turning back to face the man on the bed she holds up a set of fur lined cuffs. "Now what was that you were saying about no limits to pleasure?"


End file.
